


Day Three Hundred Eight || Servitude

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [308]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-09
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2021-01-26 02:43:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21366868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: The fate of the branch clan was a cruel one. One she was determined to set right.
Relationships: Hyuuga Hinata/Uchiha Sasuke
Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [308]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1235528
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	Day Three Hundred Eight || Servitude

When you’re young, some established norms in your life that - to anyone else - may appear strange or even wrong can be hard to realize yourself. You grow up in an environment that’s all you know. Has always been the way you know it. And only by taking in outside stimuli and opinions can you start to form your own beyond what you’ve always known.

For Hinata...her suspicions began earlier than most that something was very, _very_ wrong with her clan.

Neji, her dear cousin and playmate when very young, took a sudden turn for the worse after her third birthday. Hinata, so new to the world, had difficulty understanding precisely why. But the next time she saw him, the strange mark upon his brow was a stark difference...as well as the cold, hollow look in his eye.

“This is the legacy of the Hyūga, Hinata,” Hiashi had told her, a hand on her shoulder as she peered to him in question. “This seal is what has protected our bloodline and its secrets for centuries. The branch clan will always serve the main house...to keep us safe.”

Young and impressionable, Hinata hadn’t wholly questioned it...but nor has she fully understood it. The house hierarchy was something her young mind had yet to comprehend.

And yet...even then, part of her knew that anything to bring such an expression to Neji’s face was something she _did not like_.

As she grew, Hinata began to notice more and more things about the Hyūga that struck her as odd at best...and horrifying at worst. In the Academy, no one knew what she meant by branch house. The other clan children assured her there was no such thing in their bloodline. When Hinata asked how they kept their kekkei genkai or secrets safe, none had an answer...but nor did any admit to having such a stark line drawn through their clans.

The first time she saw Hiashi use the Caged Bird seal against Neji...she almost threw up. Seeing him suddenly so helpless, so pained, so eager for death to _make it stop_...her horror was only outweighed by her shock. Only once he deemed his nephew properly subdued did Hiashi release the technique, Neji left drooling and twitching on the dojo floor before being hauled away to his room to recover by other branch clan Hyūga.

She didn’t sleep for over a week after that, haunted by the contorted misery in her cousin’s face.

...no wonder he hated them.

Years passed, and the servitude expected of the branch clan Hyūga began to disgust her. While there was no punishment so long as one was obedient - and most of them seemed to _know their place_ \- the fact that they could be treated so poorly was bad enough...let alone that they were literally servants to other members of their own clan…!

Bringing her concerns to Hiashi, however...did more harm than good.

“You dare to question our ways…?” he’d retorted, tone dangerously quiet and foretelling of punishment. “The Hyūga have relied on that seal to keep our eyes safe for generations! Without it, the Byakugan and its secrets would be known across the continent!”

“B-but...the punishment -?”

“Is meant to keep those of lower, thinner blood in their place,” Hiashi had cut in, eyes narrowing. “To maintain order...force must often be used. Remember, Hinata...you are of the purest Hyūga breeding. This makes you fortunate...and there are those within our clan who would take that fortune from you if given the chance.”

She didn’t believe it.

Not _once_ had she ever felt animosity from her clan save for her cousin’s thinly-veiled hatred of the main house. All she’d _ever_ felt was a tired, somber acceptance. If any of the other Hyūga truly wished to take her place, to usurp the main house...they hid it well.

Early on, Hinata had secretly, silently promised herself one thing: that, when she became head of the Hyūga clan...the seal would be discontinued, no matter what lengths she had to go to.

...but her hesitation about the seal wasn’t the only _weakness_ her father saw in her. Before even becoming a genin, Hinata was stripped of her title, which was given instead to her younger sister.

Every dream she’d had about ridding the clan of the seal was stolen that day...and could only be regained by reclaiming that title.

And though it was a major factor, it wasn’t the only thing that saw her determined to get stronger. Naruto, her idol, would quickly grow to outmatch her, getting further and further ahead once they became genin. And the longer he kept his back to her...the more Hinata realized...he would never see her as she saw him.

But her determination remained. She _would_ get stronger…! If not for Naruto, if not for her title...then for herself. And someday...she would confront her clan, even if she never regained her position as heiress. Because she had made up her mind after Neji nearly killed her with the fires of his hate:

Enough was enough.

The gap between Naruto’s departure and return saw her train with her cousin nearly every day, even on the days when she would also have sessions to work with her team. Once-dainty hands became calloused from Jūken strikes against the wooden training logs. Baby fat slowly stripped away until her round face became more heart shaped. Though her build remained rounded, it was accented with muscle. Her Byakugan range reached ten kilometers. She pushed her limits of the Hakke. And after the Uzumaki’s return, she created and mastered her own technique, Jūho Sōshiken.

In those few years, under Neji’s tutelage - the genius of the branch clan - Hinata flourished...and edged closer to her goal.

...which made his death all the more heart shattering.

She’d made her choice. Even if Naruto couldn’t see her...he was too precious to lose. Both for her personally, and for the sake of their world. Hinata was ready to die for him. And yet, despite his fate being told to him as a boy...Neji embraced it not out of duty, but of a genuine will to protect his cousin when he took those mokuton shards through the chest, and died in the village hero’s arms.

...like father, like son.

Though she was exhausted, and in pain, and grieving more than words could say...Hinata pressed on with a lioness’ ferocity, helping to tear through the enemy until they overwhelmed her...and she was lost in her dream.

And then...the war was over.

But her fight had just begun.

Hanabi was still heiress. In truth, Hinata no longer wanted the position. The war had changed her perspective so drastically...she felt without direction. Save for one thing: to change her clan, for good...for the better.

But it wouldn’t be easy.

The aid of an old friend saw Neji revived, seal conquered. Hiashi, attempting to better himself, embraced his nephew fully, and agreed to help him and his daughters begin fighting back against the seal’s implementation.

At last...the branch clan’s future began to brighten.

And she felt...at peace.

...in part.

For Hinata, there was still something...missing. She had accepted the shape of Naruto’s heart, so different from her own. It would take time to do so fully...but no longer would she chase him as she had. What it meant to be a shinobi, however...she was no longer sure. Their entire world was shifting...and she had no idea how to keep up.

...but she found that in the last place she expected.

Uchiha Sasuke was, in many ways, a mystery...and yet, in others, she understood him better than most given their almost eerie parallels. It was that, coupled with her heightened understanding, that made her the champion among their year to welcome him back and do so without hesitation or wariness. In many ways, she knew his struggles, if only in a different light.

So when he, too, fought for change...she helped him, arranging for the Hyūga to ally themselves with the last Uchiha, and bring the massacre to light at long last.

And then, he repaid her...though he really had no intention to with what he’d done.

Reviving the police force with the Hyūga clan’s help was meant to help ensure that such shadows would never again choke their village. And as Sasuke explained his plan, wanting to earn her approval, Hinata felt his meaning in her bones: to work within their village to keep peace, connect with the villagers, and help keep darkness at bay.

It called to her...and so she joined: a public servant to the people. Fitting, she thought. Shinobi and their place were changing. And her doubts about her role only made her all the more sure that this would be the path to take. And alongside another champion of an oppressed clan, she would serve her village proudly.

Of course...her new career and friendship led to something else completely unexpected, getting closer to Sasuke in a way she’d never thought to. But sometimes, things just...fit.

Her road was long, and difficult...but in the end, it brought her right where she needed to be.

**Author's Note:**

> First let me say that if this is a lil...off, that's my bad. It's very late and I had to deal with some severe tooth pain, so I'm a liiil bit out of it compared to my usual self, so...this might be a little...well, off, lol - hence why it's more introspective than actually...narrative. idk, I'm very tired and really just ready to crash.
> 
> One thing I despise about the canon ending is the complete lack of address given to certain issues. Foremost is the Uchiha massacre just being...swept under the rug despite ALL of team seven knowing the truth. But a close second is the Hyūga clan and their abuse of the branch house being COMPLETELY ignored, even after Neji's (unnecessary) sacrifice, and Naruto's promise to change them. We even see Hiashi - Mr. Abandon-his-daughter-and-abuse-his-nephew - supposedly embrace his half-blood grandkids, who would NORMALLY be given the seal. But otherwise, to my knowledge...nothin'.
> 
> I'm disappointed, Naruto.
> 
> So, in my lil version of things (which I'm currently overhauling, so...bear with me lol), Hinata puts her heckin' foot down cuz THAT AIN'T GONNA FLY with her around. So...yeah, lol
> 
> Anywho, I'm...on the verge of passing out, so that's it from me. Thanks for reading!


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